coondoggie writes: The European Space Agency’s Mars exploring satellite will make a number of close-up passes of the Mars moon Phobos. The Mars Express, which the agency launched in 2003, has begun a series of flybys of Phobos, the largest moon of Mars, that will ultimately set a new record for the closest pass to Phobos, skimming toward the surface at 50 km – or about 31 miles, the ESA said. The data collected by the satellite could help unwrap some of the mystery about the moon, the ESA said. The origin of Phobos is a mystery.Link to Original Source